Visit Punta Cana, for an amazing all-inclusive vacation

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic offers miles of beautiful white sand beaches, amazingly blue ocean water, and fun expeditions throughout the area. I spent 11 nights at an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana relaxing and experiencing a few of the expeditions in the area. These are some of my recommendations for your trip to Punta Cana.

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Travel to Punta Cana and get situated at your resort

Flying into Punta Cana was a relatively painless experience in my opinion. It was very easy to navigate the airport and getting through customs was quite easy. The only difficult part was finding my shuttle driver once I got out of the airport since the taxi/shuttle area is incredibly busy. Once I found my driver, I settled in for a 45-minute ride to my accommodations and arrived a little after it was dark.

Punta Cana has numerous different resort options from cheaper stays to luxury resorts. For my stay in Punta Cana, I ended up selecting the Bahia Principe Grand Punta Cana based on the number of positive reviews as well as the cheaper price point for an all-inclusive resort. This hotel is one of multiple resorts in the Bahia Principe family that all occupy the same grounds in Punta Cana. The Bahia Principe Grand is one of the more budget friendly properties in the lineup. There are also more luxurious and adult only properties in this location. You get access to each of the properties through an RFID bracelet that you will get when checking into the resort. You can view the rest of the Bahia Principe resorts for comparison here.

The town square at Bahia Principe features live music and other activities

Go scuba diving or snorkeling on a day trip to Catalina Island

One of the amazing expeditions that you can do while you are in Punta Cana is take a scuba diving or snorkeling trip to Catalina Island. If you are scuba diving, you will do an incredible wall dive as well as a second dive along a vibrant coral reef. If you snorkel, you get dropped off at a shallower area of the reef that still lets you see the reef and the teeming marine life on the reef. On the wall dive, I saw the biggest crab I have ever seen, lots of amazing corals, multiple spiny lobsters, and a bunch of other beautiful fish species.

After your diving or snorkeling tour is complete, the boat will bring you to Catalina Island where you will enjoy a delicious lunch full of local foods and have the opportunity to relax on the beach. I booked the diving tour through the dive center at Bahia Principe, but you can also book the snorkeling tour through TripAdvisor here. Do note that this tour will take all day. You will spend around 3 hours total on a bus from Punta Cana to the boat dock and back, and another few hours on the expedition itself.

Diving along the coral reefs near Catalina Island

Take a small group snorkeling cruise

One of the really fun tours I took while in Punta Cana was a small group snorkeling cruise. The cruise is capped at a maximum of 27 guests, so you are not crammed onto a boat like some of the other party boat tours in the area. On the day that I went, the weather was overcast and rainy, so the snorkeling was not all that great, but the cruise was still so much fun. This tour has a 4.9-star rating out of nearly 700 reviews on Tripadvisor, and for good reason. The guides are an absolute blast, they play super fun music, and the bartender makes the best margaritas you will probably find in the Dominican Republic.

Once you are done snorkeling, you get to jump off the top of the catamaran into the water or slide down the slide on the back of the boat. When everyone is tired of swimming, the boat crew gives you a delicious snack of chips and handmade guacamole before moving the boat to a shallow cove. In this shallow cove, you get to hang out in the water listening to music, paddleboarding, or throwing a football around with the other guests on your cruise. You will also be in the cove with a bunch of the other party boats, so it is just a super fun vibe and a great way to spend some time hanging out in the warm ocean waters. You can book this amazing tour through TripAdvisor here.

Getting ready to board the small group catamaran tour
Hanging out in the shallow cove with the other party boats after snorkeling

Other notable expeditions around Punta Cana

I mostly used my trip to Punta Cana as a relaxing beach getaway, so I spent a lot of time just relaxing at the all-inclusive resort. I did not do many additional expeditions since I was in relaxation mode, but these are some other activities I considered doing. If I make it back to Punta Cana, I will personally check out more of these then. For an entire suite of activities to do around Punta Cana, check out TripAdvisor here or Viator here.

Buggy and ATV Excursions

Multiple tour companies in the area provide dune buggy and ATV riding tours through the jungle. These expeditions look like they are a great time and a chance to blast through mud holes while experiencing more of the Dominican Republic landscape. You can find out more about these tours here.

Ziplines, ATVs, horseback riding, and more

La Hacienda Park offers a full-day adventure itinerary for those looking to enjoy multiple different activities. You can ride a zipline, go swimming, ride an ATV, and go horseback riding. You can book your adventure at La Hacienda Park here.

Go horseback riding on the beach

Another neat excursion that you can experience in Punta Cana is horseback riding along the beach and through the surf. If you have always wanted to ride a horse in an idyllic setting, this might just be the activity for you. You can check out horseback riding tours and adventures here.

Go dancing and see the show at Coco Bongo

If you want to see some live entertainment and dance the night away, head to Coco Bongo. The shows are supposed to be amazing, and the dance scene is said to be nearly unrivaled. You can compare ticket options and check availability for Coco Bongo here.

If you go to Punta Cana:

If you are on a mid-range budget but still want to stay at an all-inclusive resort, I recommend looking at Bahia Principe Grand. The value I received at this resort was pretty great for being relatively in expensive. I did have some frustrations at the property though. My room AC unit did not work well, and I do not think they ever came to look at the AC unit. I also had a hard time figuring out amenities I had access to on their app.

I wish I knew more Spanish as the language barrier at the hotel was steep and it was difficult to understand what more was included in my stay. That barrier is not the resort’s fault as Spanish is the spoken language in the Dominican Republic. The resort property is beautiful and there are many swimming pools that you can use. There are also numerous bars and restaurants in addition to the buffets. The property is also right on the beach, so you can get to the beautiful shoreline via a short walk or by hopping on one of the golf carts that run throughout the resort.

In addition to the amazing pools, shoreline, and restaurants, there is also nightly entertainment, a sports bar, a casino, a dance club, and a water park for little kids. I do not think I would stay for 11 nights again since the entertainment gets redundant, but this property is definitely suitable for up to a week. To research more luxurious or adult only Bahia Principe properties click here. If you are researching additional properties, you can check out some of the top-rated properties in Punta Cana here. For a breakdown of pros and cons of Bahia Principe Grand Punta Cana, read more about my experience at the resort here.